Comments

Clarification appreciated Jeffrey! SMART ended up with both plansets and the history of the 1980's bridge replacement was not clear - appeared that much of the original planset was re-used. The Galveston Causeway, now Haystack Landing, bridge is currently finishing commissioning and operating very well.

Clarification: The original 1912 bascule was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company. It was a 3-track, single-leaf span located on the north channel pier (by the 1980s only a single track was in service). The 1912 bascule was replaced in 1987 with a single-track, single-leaf rolling lift bascule. It was located on the south channel pier so that it could be constructed while the original bascule remained in service. After the new bascule was completed, the 1912 bascule was raised and secured in the open position and the new bascule was put into service. The 1912 bascule was then demolished. The new bascule was designed by American Bridge Division of US Steel (Chicago Engineering Office), fabricated by PDM Bridge (Orange TX Plant), and erected by American Bridge Company.

Old Galveston Causeway

Posted July 4, 2013, by Nathan Holth

I think the bascule bridge that was replaced here to be moved to California was not the original 1912 bascule, or it was severely altered with very little original material left. News articles described the span being moved to California in 2012 as "26 years old" which would put its date at 1986. Moreover, it is unlikely a railroad would buy a 1912 bridge to replace a 1903 bridge.

The designation of the bascule as main span and arch as approach spans is correct. I have adjusted this in the listing, and also added builder, span length and other info. This bascule bridge is listed in Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company literature.

Old Galveston Causeway

Posted June 8, 2012, by Luke Harden (lmharden [at] iastate [dot] edu)

The main channel span is a truss and I categorized it so the truss is the main bridge and the arches are the approach spans.